Portable vacuum systems can be used to remove a variety of wet and dry material. Some applications include storm drain clean out, locating underground utilities, cleanup at treatment plants, vacuuming out retention ponds, cleaning out of lateral lines, excavation of small rocks and dry sand, mud removal, manhole clean out, meter box cleaning, saw mill clean up, and emergency road spills. Such systems are typically either mounted on a truck or a trailer, to facilitate their transportation. Examples of such systems are disclosed in the following patents and published applications, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference: U.S. Pat. No. 6,385,867 to Slabach et al. for “System For Vacuum Excavation;” U.S. Pat. No. 6,453,584 to Buckner for “Continuous Vacuum, Separator, Dispensing System;” U.S. Pat. No. 6,604,304 to Slabach et al. for “Dual Mode Evacuation System For Vacuum Excavator;” U.S. Pat. No. 6,988,568 to Buckner for “Vacuum Boring and Mud Recovery System;” U.S. Pat. No. 7,503,134 to Buckner for “Fixed Slope Vacuum Boring and Mud Recovery System;” U.S. Pat. No. 7,604,023 to Buckner et al. for “Utility Valve Access and Performance Evaluation Means,” U.S. Pat. No. 7,644,523 to Buckner for “Mobile Vacuum Boring and Excavation Method;” U.S. Pat. No. 7,837,050 to Maybury, Jr. for “Collection Tank;” and U.S. Patent Application Pub. No. 2006/0032012 to Lynn Buckner for “Mobile Vacuum Boring and Mud Recovery Method Having An Articulated Vacuum Conduit Boom with Digging Bucket.”
These vacuum systems are often used in connection with excavation systems that use a stream of fluids, usually air or water, to dislodge earth. The vacuum is then used to draw water with solids from the excavation into a storage tank.
In some applications, it is desirable to be able to return the material from the storage tank to the hole, for example after the underground utility has been serviced. It may also desirable to be able to separate wet material from the dry material. One system that provides for separate storage of wet and dry material is the Vacmasters System 4000 as sold by Vacmasters of Arvada, Colo. The System 4000 includes a primary storage tank and a smaller secondary storage tank. Both tanks are fixedly mounted on the body of a truck. The secondary tank can be used, for example, to store dry material in potholing applications. In order to return the dry material to the hole with this design, it is necessary to maneuver the truck to position the tank over the hole, or alternatively to manually move the material, e.g., using a wheelbarrow, from the storage tank to the hole.
Before the embodiments of the invention are explained in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including” and “comprising” and variations thereof is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items and equivalents thereof.